Southwestern Cheesy Rice Zucchini Boats

Zucchini boats meet TexMex!

This recipe combines my love of Mexican food and my obsession with stuffed zucchini boats.  I occasionally see zucchini on the menu at a Mexican restaurant, but usually it’s just as a small role in a side dish or mixed in with the rice. I believe it should be the main focus of the meal of course. Time to stuff it with the rice instead!

Southwestern Cheesy Rice Stuffed Zucchini Boats Recipe

First prep the zucchini by slicing them in half lengthwise. (If you would prefer you can slightly cook them before starting the next process.) Scoop centers of zucchini but make sure to leave about 1/4 inch edge for the boat. Brush lightly with olive oil and bake on a roasting pan in oven for about 20 minutes at 375F.
prepped zucchini boats

While the zucchini cooks heat some olive oil in a pan and saute the minced onion and garlic. Add rice and then vegetable broth. Season with the dry mix of cumin, chili powder and oregano. Cook according to rice instructions, usually covered for about 15-20 minutes. Once ready mix with cheese and chives. I chose to use Monterrey jack for this recipe.
southwestern rice

Stuff with rice mixture and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Make sure to put the zucchini boats close together to keep form.
southwestern rice stuffed zucchini precook

Once they are ready remove and serve warm!
southwestern cheesy rice stuffed zucchini

southwestern cheesy rice stuffed zucchini

Southwestern Cheesy Rice Zucchini Boats

Zucchini boats stuffed with southwestern style cheesy rice.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 zucchini
  • 1/4 cup monterrey jack cheese shredded
  • 1 cup rice long grain brown
  • 2 green onion stalks
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 2 cup vegetable broth low sodium
  • 2 stalks chives
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions
 

  • First prep the zucchini by slicing them in half lengthwise. Scoop centers out but make sure to leave about 1/4 inch edge for the boat. Brush lightly with olive oil and bake on a roasting pan in oven for about 20 minutes at 375F.
  • While the zucchini cooks heat some olive oil in a pan and saute the minced onion and garlic. Add rice and then vegetable broth. Season with dry mix. Cook according to rice instructions. Mix in cheese and chives when done.
  • Stuff with rice mixture and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Make sure to put the zucchini boats close together to keep form. Once ready remove and serve!

I chose to pair mine with some chipotle pepper chicken!
cheesy southwestern rice stuffed zucchini boats and chipotle chicken

These are full of cheesy goodness! I love the flavor of this style of Mexican rice too because it is not so traditional. Tomato is most always included in the recipe so this one is quite a bit different, yet still that immediate flavor of southwestern cuisine.

This is another one of those recipes that looks complicated but really isn’t. While it does call for some time in prep, you can get the hang of it pretty quickly. The results are so worth the extra effort too! If you liked this idea for zucchini boats you can also check out my pesto one here.

southwestern rice stuffed zucchini boats from Body Compass Discovery's blog

Love zucchini as much as I do? I am always experimenting in a variety of recipes with this green veggie. This would be a great cookbook to add to your kitchen collection if you are into zucchini like I am.

>>This is a 21 Day Fix APPROVED recipe if you nix the vegetable broth!

When making this as part of a meal prep it counts for 2 servings. Each of those servings consists of 2 1/4 green containers, 1/8 of a blue container and 1 yellow container.


I started eating healthy on my own a few years ago, around the time I started the blog. Shortly after I discovered the program 21 Day Fix and it COMPLETELY opened my eyes to clean eating. I learned how to control carbs, cut processed foods, not be so obsessed with sugar and so much more…. including how to become a meal prep pro! I now coach people through this program. Want to talk with me about getting started? Reach out to me here and let’s get you signed up!

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Entering my 30's and feeling more confident about myself from the inside out than ever before!

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